Uzbekistan

Local Government

The country is divided into twelve provinces (wiloyatlar ;
sing., wiloyat ), one autonomous republic (the Karakalpakstan
Republic), 156 regions, and 123 cities. In Uzbekistan's system of strong
central government, local government has little independence. The chief
executive of each province and of Tashkent is the hakim , who is
appointed by the president. Although these appointments must be confirmed
by local legislative bodies that are elected by popular vote, the power of
the president is dominant. The Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan also
officially elects its own legislature; the chairman of the legislature
serves as the republic's head of state and as a deputy chairman of the
national parliament. But in the autonomous republic, too, government
officials are generally powerless against Tashkent. Indeed, Karakalpak
officials often are not included even in meetings of heads of state to
discuss the fate of the Aral Sea, which is located within Karakalpakstan.